


Thank you

by LadyAriadna



Series: Towards Infinity [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Co-Parenting, Friendship, Gen, Iron Dad, Not Beta Read, Team Cap friendly, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 17:46:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15466725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAriadna/pseuds/LadyAriadna
Summary: It’s been two days since May Parker found out about Spider-man and Tony was surprised. He’s not the only one keeping a secret.





	Thank you

Tony stared at the front door of the Parkers’ apartment as the memory of an angry May Parker was pulled to the forefront of his mind. He will never admit to anyone but he put her on his list of the scariest people in his book; only second to Pepper Potts.

Two days ago, the phone call he’s been anxious to get came and he had to do his best to assure May that he’s doing his best to protect Peter.

_“May, you know Peter,” he implored, “he’ll never stop. I tried, and it did not go well.”_

It took more assurance from both Peter and Tony before May calmed down enough to hear them out. Along with added rules and conditions, May allowed Peter to continue being Spider-man. She only needed one more thing: complete transparency hence, why Tony’s back along with a package for her. He just needed more courage to face a, possibly, still angry May Parker. _You don’t want to be a sissy, now do you? Stark men are made of iron!_ He sighed, shoulders slumped, as he remembered that favorite line from his father.

He took another calming breath then mustered enough courage and confidence before he knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the door opened and he’s once again face-to-face with May, her hand on her waist.

“Good, you’re here.” she said as she stepped aside, “I want to know everything I can about Peter and this whole other world you’re both keeping from me. Come in, Mr. Stark.”

“Please, Tony’s fine.”

“Feel free to sit anywhere you want. Would you like coffee or tea, Mr. Stark?”

“Coffee’s fine, thank you.” _Yeah, she’s still mad._ Tony then settled himself on the couch and looked around the room as he waited. Unlike the Parker’s previous apartment, he never had the chance to really observe their home. He smiled when he saw a display of Peter’s medals and trophies. He also saw the pictures of Peter with Richard and Mary Parker and others with Ben and May. _Cute kid!_ He then surreptitiously took a picture of baby Peter via his camera phone. Blackmail material! He smiled. _Keep telling yourself that, Tony._ Great, now Pepper’s in his head!

“Here, Mr. Stark.” Tony pocketed his phone as he heard May walk towards him.

“Thank you.” Tony then took a sip of the surprisingly good coffee.

“Now, tell me what else you’re keeping secret from me.” May went straight to the point.

“I did promise you’ll know everything about Peter’s changes so…” Tony then opened the boxed package he brought. “Here’s the complete medical records Dr. Helen Cho, the Avenger’s resident doctor, compiled regarding Peter. Due to the spider bite, I suggest that if Peter needs medical attention, please call me so I can take him to a specialized doctor.” May took the binder and skimmed a few pages.

“Also, here.” Tony pulled a brand new Stark phone from the box and gave it to her. “It is a normal smartphone except with this added app and features.” Tony tapped on the app with a spider icon. “Peter’s suit and phone have trackers. He once hacked and removed it with his friend but I reinstalled it. Don’t tell him.” May looked at the screen showing a map with a pulsating dot showing Peter’s in Midtown High. “Aside from knowing his location, you can also check his vitals. It will also notify you of any injuries he may get especially while patrolling and if he went past the allowed perimeter and altitude.”

“Altitude?” She gasped.

“It’s because of the whole Vulture thing.” Tony answered. “Your phone also has a tracker. Peter and I can see where you are and vice versa. It’s for emergencies.” He immediately brought his hands up. “Only for emergencies! Not to intrude in your privacy.”

“Yeah, I get it. No worries.”

“Alright.” He sighed. “It has direct access to Karen, Peter’s AI so you can send him messages or calls. It also has a direct line to me. So if there’s anything that you need, please don’t hesitate to call.”

May nodded as she explored the features of the app. Tony was about hand her the next items when he heard her snort.

“‘Baby Monitor’? Is that what I think it is?” May giggled.

“Yeah!” he smirked, “His suit records everything while he wears it. You can see an archive of all the recordings by date and time or you can watch a live feed.”

“Hmm…” May was impressed, “you did think of everything.”

“May, when I said I’ll do everything to keep him safe and protected, I mean it.” Tony continued after she nodded. He then handed her a badge. “Here’s yours, Peter already has one. You have access to the Avengers compound upstate as well as my penthouse at the Stark Industries NY branch in Manhattan. There are rooms for both you and Peter if you need them.”

“Mr. Sta-”

“Again, it’s if you need a safe house.” He needed to make sure that May understands and accepts this.

“Okay. Thanks.” May was hesitant, “I just don’t think we’ll use it so these may be too much. We’re not a charity case.”

“You’re right, you’re not a charity case but I admit there is a reason behind this. The internship isn’t just a cover-up. I do intend to be his mentor and that would include him staying at the compound or the penthouse sometimes, preferably during the weekends. I want to teach him, not only the superhero stuff like self-defence and tactics, but also engineering and other sciences.” He paused, nervous that May would disagree, “If that’s alright with you of course.”

“Alright? This is more than I asked.”

“Please May, I do want to make sure that Peter’s equipped to go out there if he wants to keep on being Spider-man. But, he’s also a genius! I know you know that. It would be a waste to rely on merely the school system. I want to make sure he gets to hone his skills and then become who he wants to be outside of being a superhero, whether that be an engineer or a biochemist. Perhaps someday he’ll create a new tech conglomerate that will rival Stark Industries.” Tony smiled.

“You’re proud of him.” She gave him a smile and a knowing look. “I’m glad.” That surprised him.

“A-anyway,” Tony sniffed and handed her an envelope. “I opened a joint bank account for you and Peter. It’s not an unpaid internship, May. Please use it for anything he needs, books, school fees, college tuition… It’s up to you.” May momentarily paused but accepted the envelope.

“Thank you Mr. Stark. Really, this is more than enough.” She contemplated, her fingers tracing the design on her mug. Tony waited knowing that all of these new information and the sudden clarity that came with the revelation of Peter’s secret may be too much for her. “You know, for a while now, I’m not a fan of yours.”

Tony snorted and looked anywhere but May, “I understand.”

“No, let me finish.” She placed her mug on the table and faced him. “I didn’t like you because I thought, with your internship, you’re running my nephew to the ground. He’s often stressed and tired. I wanted him to stop with the internship long before the Vulture thing happened.

And then I find out he’s going out as Spider-man in his own volition. So I hated you, not because I thought you’re forcing him to risk his life fighting crime, but because he wanted to be like you. He’s desperate for your approval.”

“May,” Tony sighed, “I don’t want him to be like me. I’m a mess! I screw up everything! I want him to be better! Because of me-”

“Let me stop you right there. Wait here.” May stood up and walked towards Peter’s bedroom. Tony did his best to calm down and stop the budding panic attack before it goes out of control. He clutched his left wrist willing it to stop shaking. As soon as he felt calmer, he heard May’s footsteps.

“Ben instilled his sense of righteousness towards Peter ever since he lived with us. Peter looked up to cops and the military because, as he said, ‘they’re heroes and they protect the people from the bad guys’. He’s adorable!” She smiled and Tony remembered the young Peter he saw in the pictures earlier. May stood by the couch, her hands hid something behind her. “He wanted to become a hero. Then, he finally saw someone on TV, a real hero.” She sat next to Tony while she showed him what she hid behind her back, an Iron Man helmet; one that was sold as a toy years ago. It was old but was obviously taken care of that the plastic sheen is still intact. “‘I am Iron Man’. You impressed him so much, Mr. Stark.”

Tony was rendered speechless, it was one of those few times when words escaped him. He knew Peter looked up to him, he just didn’t know it started way back.

“He wanted to see you in person so much that he begged us to go to the Stark Expo in Flushing. He was so happy when he got to go. He even got an autograph from you.”

Tony looked at the helmet on her lap, trepidation budding in his chest as a distant memory of that night surfaced in his mind.

“We were on our way home when the drones went out of control. Even at such a young age, he wanted to help get the people out.” May paused and he remembered the chaos of that night. There were casualties despite the efforts he did as well as the contingencies Pepper put in place. He should have done more. “Before Ben can carry him out of there, Peter got out of his grasp and ran back to the entrance. We were so desperate to run after him but he was so fast and small that he can weave in and out of the panicking crowd.”

“May, I-” He couldn’t believe it. After all these years, the boy who bravely stood in front of that drone, the one he barely saved, was Peter.

“When we found him again, he was so excited he can barely talk straight! We can’t believe it!” She shook her head. “When we got home he received the most stern lecture of his life but at that moment, when we found him safe and alive, we were so relieved and so grateful. For months after that, he happily talked of the time he saved people with Iron Man! It’s one of his fondest memories. Come to think of it, I think he sent you a fan art.”

“May, if I was late for a few seconds, he would’ve died!” 

“But you weren’t. You saved him.” She smiled as she reached out to touch his shoulder. “Thank you, Tony.”

Tony didn’t know how to react to that. Sure he received thank you notes from fans and heard them on the news but, May thanking him after all the shitty mistakes he made, after the Germany incident… It was overwhelming.

“And then the Battle of New York happened-”

“What?!” _There’s more?_ May looked up at his flabbergasted face. “Please tell me you weren’t near Stark Tower at that time!”

“Well… we were a block away.” May apologetically said. “Ben and I wanted to have a day off with Peter and just wandered around Manhattan when we decided to pass by Stark Tower. Peter said he wanted to see you fly by. When the portal opened up and aliens poured in, we hid in one of the buildings along with other people. We were fine. You saved us again, thank you so much!”

Tony felt the tremors on his left arm. May handed the helmet for him to hold. The feel of the toy in his hands helped ground him in the present.

“He was so worried for you when you flew that missile towards the portal but that was nothing compared to the time you went missing for days after your mansion in Malibu blew up. He was… inconsolable but adamant that you survived.

What I’m trying to say here is, you’re a good man Tony. The world is getting stranger and more dangerous. If I could, I want to take him, leave New York and live somewhere isolated and safe like, I don’t know, New Mexico or somewhere where it’s boring and nothing happens.”

“New Mexico is out.” Tony smirked as he remembered that incident with Thor.

“Oh yeah. Forgot about that.” She chuckled at that. “Tony, normal stuff like bullies and school, I can handle that but Spider-man and the superhero world, I can’t. I know I can’t stop him and all my attempts will just bolster him forward instead. I am so worried Peter’s going to get caught up in all these but, I’m glad he has you to guide him until he’s ready to make it on his own. ”

“Wouldn’t Captain America be a better mentor for him though?” His self-deprecating tone made May frown.

“After all that shit that happened with the Accords? Hell no!” May crossed her arms. “Peter told me everything he knows about that. To be honest, I thought you’re the last one willing to sign up and let the government take tabs on you, what with your devil-may-care reputation.”

“You know how easy it is to get a reputation and how hard it is to lose?” 

“I have an idea.” 

“Thank you, May.” Grateful for their talk, Tony handed the helmet to her.

She smiled and took the helmet back and their conversation turned towards Peter’s well-being and future plans.

\---

Tony drove back to his penthouse with a smile on his face. He didn’t expect to gain a new friend that day with May Parker. Between the two of them, they were able to make plans to help Peter both in his studies and his superhero life.

_“It’s called shared custody and co-parenting, Tony.” May laughed._

“Friday, pull up all the scanned fan mail within a year after the 2010 Stark Expo.”

“Yes Boss.”

He’s eternally grateful he scanned every fan mail he received and stored them in his private server even before the incident with the Mandarin. Looks like he got a new desktop wallpaper - oh and blackmail material!

**Author's Note:**

> ["You don’t want to be a sissy, now do you? Stark men are made of iron!"](http://tony-starks-heart.tumblr.com/post/113318572132/howard-was-not-a-good-father-plain-and-simple) are lines direct from Howard Stark in the comics.
> 
> In the comics (Earth 616), Peter Parker became a biochemist and the CEO of Parker Industries, a company that rivaled Stark Industries.
> 
> May’s story of how Peter first knew of Iron Man, the Battle of New York and the bombing of Tony’s Malibu mansion was inspired by this [Tumblr post](http://mamalaz.tumblr.com/post/162403751577/peter-parker-idolising-iron-man-before-civil-war).
> 
> "You know how easy it is to get a reputation and how hard it is to lose?" That line is from the [Iron Man deleted scene](https://youtu.be/YvaQFo_sDy8).
> 
> I don’t want to write the scene where May chewed both Tony and Peter for the Spider-man secret. There are a lot of amazing fics in this site for that. So, I hope you like the “what comes after” instead.
> 
> Edit (28 Aug 2018): I feel like I need to explain why May said Tony is a better mentor for Peter compared to Captain America. It's not a diss to Team Cap. It's because she's a parent and a civilian. All the information she has about the whole Accords fiasco was from the media and Peter. According to the [Spider-man: Homecoming Prelude](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/22534/marvels_spider-man_homecoming_prelude_2017), Peter doesn't know much. All he knew was that things got personal.
> 
> As a parent, May would not like it if someone, who was expected to be a paragon of a rule-abiding American citizen, go rogue and become a mentor for her kid. I hope that is clear.


End file.
